£5000 To Fell Malvern's Belle Vue Plane Trees - And Then Replace Them!

9.06.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 24th Dec 2007

West Worcestershire's Parliamentary Candidate, Richard Burt has condemned a £5000 plan to fell two mature London Plane trees at Belle Vue Terrace in Malvern as "environmental vandalism".

Mr Burt recently joined protesters in Malvern campaigning to save the trees and helped gather signatures opposing the District Council's decision to approve their removal.

Plans to fell the trees and replace them with 'suitable specimens', together with some repairs to hard landscaping, have been included in proposals for the Council's Medium-Term Financial Plan, approved at a meeting of the MHDC Executive Committee on 18th December.

Richard Burt said: "The Belle Vue Plane trees are landmark specimens in Malvern. All they need is appropriate care and maintenance. It would be a complete waste of money and an act of environmental vandalism to remove them under this scheme.

"I hope that the Council will listen to local people and reject the proposed expenditure when the matter comes before them for approval in January."